As the allied column continued its march back, the atmosphere was uneasy. The feeling of betrayal could be felt from Luna and her guard when they saw their allies protect Blueblood. However she felt, Luna agreed to keep quiet, hoping to know what they learned when the time was right. She never liked being in the dark and this time was no exception.

Spike was finally fully awake, but still had some trouble walking. The entire trip back, Sweetie Belle was there, helping him every step of the way, all the while that Luna was telling Spike what was going on.

“So you and Sweetie left and found these people?” Spike asked.

“That’s correct, Spike,” Luna answered. “Also, that man leading the column is actually the same one from the statue. The one you wanted to meet.”

Spike’s eyes widened as he processed what Luna had said. For a few years, he had thought that those people in that statue were fake, designed to inspire others to do their best, but now, he wasn’t so sure. These people seemed to be just regular soldiers doing their job, listening to their leaders, just like in Equestria, but they didn’t do what the Equestrians did.

The column stopped before reaching another clearing as Matthew and Yuri pulled out their weapons.

“TK,” Matthew began. “Stay here with the men. Yuri and I will scout the other side for any Lennex activity.”

“Yes, sir,” TK replied as he moved the men into hiding on their side of the woods. Matthew and Yuri crept out into the open, keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of the Lennex’s red uniforms.

As they reached the other side, Yuri gave the signal for the other forces to move up, as Matthew and Yuri continued on, finding a small hut in another small clearing, the door wide open as they heard some Lennex soldiers yelling inside.

“We told you that if you didn’t give us those potions we would kill you!” the officer yelled. “You’ve had enough time.” As he raised his sword, about to strike the young woman, he felt a pistol poking the back of his head.

“I would highly suggest that you put the sword on the ground very slowly,” Yuri said, his voice low, giving no room for negotiating. As the other Lennex soldier turned, about to attack Yuri, he was shot by Matthew between the eyes, dropping to the ground. The officer dropped his sword, afraid of what would happen if he didn’t cooperate.

“Well you seem to be a smart officer,” Matthew said, punching the officer in the face, knocking him out. “That should keep you from trying to run off.”

Luna walked in along with the kids, finding one Lennex soldier dead and another being tied up. They immediately went to the woman in charge of the cabin.

“Are you alright, Zecora?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I am fine,” she said. “Since these people arrived in time.” She went over to her cauldron, stirring its contents. “They wanted me to brew this concoction, although I had no idea of its power of destruction.”

“What is it?” TK asked.

“Something most vile,” Zecora replied. “That to make it would be a while. They planned to poison their enemies with this gas. It could even melt through brass.”

Matthew picked up a nearby stick and poked the concoction, the stick melting away faster than he could blink.

“Is there any way you could give us the directions for this?” he asked.

“What are you planning to do?” Zecora asked. “Become monsters like them too?”

“No,” Yuri replied. “Part of the reason soldiers like me were created was to combat elite Lennex regiments that the regular soldier couldn’t take down. You said that this thing could melt brass, so we would like to test it out on their machines to see how it does. We would never use it on regular people.”

“Then I will work on it at the double,” Zecora said. “It won’t be any trouble.” Matthew handed her a sack. As she opened it, she gasped. What was in there was the equivalent of two million Equestrian bits.

“Allow us to pay for your time,” he said as he walked out, Yuri dragging the Lennex officer with him. TK followed, getting back with the column as it began to move once again.

As the entire group returned to the outskirts of Ponyville, Matthew lead two of his soldiers away, taking Blueblood with them to keep Celestia from knowing about their plan. TK continued to lead the others to the town square, where Celestia was waiting along with Twilight. As soon as Twilight saw Spike, she ran over to him and held her son, causing his face to turn blue.

“Mom, you’re ch-chok-choking me ag-again,” Spike tried to get out. Twilight immediately let go as she saw her parents walk over, both of them hugging Twilight as Shining and Cadance also joined in, the family finally reunited.

Sweetie Belle watched on, for the first time in a while, crying tears of happiness at the sight of the reunion. As she watched, she felt Twilight pull her into the hug next to Spike. As they let go, they saw Braeburn being greeted by his cousins and Granny Smith in a massive Apple Family Hug.

“What in tarnation happened to you, Braeburn?” Applejack asked.

“All I remember was going out and taking care of the orchard and the next thing I know, I’m knocked out and in a cell,” Braeburn said. “Do you know what’s going on?”

“All I can say is that those people that took you seemed to have just came into Equestria like they own the place,” Big Mac said.

“Wait a minute,” Yuri said. “Where do you live?”

“I live in Appleloosa,” Braeburn replied. “It’s south of Ponyville. A few days’ train ride, maybe about five to six days.”

“And we live about five days north of Ponyville by train,” Shining said. “For all we know, The Crystal Empire could’ve also been taken.”

“If they did the samething to you as they did to us,” General Potter said. “Most likely their agents would be everywhere getting everything ready for them. We might have to split up and attack everywhere at the same time.”

“You can’t do that!” Twilight exclaimed. “You’ll be cut down one at a time. We need to stay together!”

“And risk getting cut off from our reinforcements and surrounded by their forces coming at us on our flanks and rear?” Commander Patten asked. “If we attack the enemy on multiple fronts there is a less likely chance of being cut off. They’ll have to fight us everywhere and can’t support a front without weakening their forces in another front.”

“But there is still a risk of being cut off if you advance too far!” Twilight tried to explain. “Keeping together will make us impossible to beat and make us stronger!”

The Imperials shook their heads, knowing that while Twilight’s idea had merit, for this type of warfare, it wouldn’t work as well. Equestrians had always fought against either Griffon or Changeling Forces. All three would just mass together and hit at one point and win a battle without much difficulty, but for Imperial and Lennex forces, it was less about a massive punch and more about maneuvering around your opponent. While Lennex forces did prefer attacking in massive numbers in the center, they also had some of their more elite forces on the flanks to deal with any major issues.

Imperial forces preferred more troops on the flanks, giving them an edge when going around their enemy and even cutting off the enemies retreat, resulting in the opposing force to either surrender or be destroyed. Sweet Apple Acres was one of those times that they wouldn’t just march right up to their enemy, but sweep around and hit their flank, causing their troops to panic and rout.

“Twilight,” Kari began, having kept quiet for a while. “I’ve seen what happens when units just keep going to one place and never even try and deal with the ones on their flanks. I’m not a general or anything, but TK has told me what happened when an old officer of theirs decided to just bunch together into one place. His forces were wiped out faster than anyone could count.”

“I think it might be best for all leaders to be here for the plans,” Celestia mentioned, hoping to keep both sides from wanting to kill each other. The tension was thick enough that you could feel it in the air.

“Where did your leader go?” Cold asked.

“He went for a walk,” TK said. “Helps clear the head when you fight a long war.”

“Alright,” Luna began. “For now, we need some volunteers to scout out the area for more enemies.” As she finished, her captains, Moonlight and Dusk, raised their hands.

“We’ll patrol the Everfree outskirts,” they said. Luna nodded as they left to patrol their assigned spot.

“I’ll gather some men to guard the train station,” General Baker said. “We’ll need it soon.”

“Luna,” Celestia began. “See if you can find the rest of the Imperial Leaders. We’ll need to plan everything out.”

As everyone left, Braeburn and the rest of the Apples walked over to Sugarcube Corner to get something to eat. Along the way, Braeburn was explaining everything that had happened since they last spoke from the orchard to his capture as they explained what they saw in Canterlot a few days ago.

“Might strange it is,” Braeburn said. “I mean these people seemed to have been ready for those ones that attacked us, and moved right when they heard.”

“Luna asked them about that on the way here to Ponyville,” Apple Bloom said. “They knew about this attack, but they didn’t know where it was going to hit, is what their leader said.”

“And how is it that you know this?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow. Luckily for Apple Bloom, Sweetie and Spike had run over.

“Come on, Apple Bloom,” Sweetie said. “We’re heading for the park.” Apple Bloom ran off with her friends, getting away from Applejack and her barrage of questions.

As they entered Sugarcube Corner, they found the entire place a mess from the battle. Food was scattered all over the main room as the Cakes were cleaning up the mess, leaving Pinkie with babysitting duty. As soon as Pinkie saw her friends, she walked over.

“Hey guys!” she exclaimed. “Sorry I can’t do much but I need to help keep an eye on Pumpkin and Pound. There’s some cakes in the kitchen already made if you want any.”

As Applejack and Big Mac went in the back, Braeburn walked over to Pinkie.

“Need a hand?” he asked. Pinkie nodded as both of them sat down with the kids.

“How did you end up here, Braeburn?” Pinkie asked as she helped Pumpkin put her doll house back together.

“Was taken in the middle of looking over the orchard,” Braeburn began. “All I remember was someone shouting my name and the next thing I know, I’m in a cell in the Everfree Castle. I was there for a few days at least. Before this invasions started, I guess.”

“You had it easier than I did,” Pinkie replied. “I was there at Canterlot and saw what happened. I even saw my boyfriend leading those people. All I remember him saying was that I would regret refusing him. I just never thought it would go this far.” As Pinkie’s eyes began to water, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Braeburn giving her a small smile.

“I’m sure everything will be alright, Pinkie,” Braeburn said, his voice small, filled with concern. “You have friends you can go to whenever you want. Applejack, Twilight, Fluttershy, and even me.”

Pinkie just smiled and gave Braeburn a small hug.

“Thanks,’ she said, holding onto her friend. Unknown to the two, Mr. and Mrs. Cake saw the whole thing and smiled, both happy that Pinkie was smiling again.

Just outside the Everfree, Moonlight and Dusk were walking around, keeping an eye out for any sign of Lennex patrols. As they looked around, they snuck into the forest as Dusk pressed his lips to Moonlight’s. Moonlight returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around Dusk’s neck.

“I really needed that,” Moonlight said as they broke the kiss. “Putting up with Cold all the time is getting annoying.”

“I know,” Dusk replied. “That stupid rule he placed that said a Captain cannot have a romantic relationship with another member of the guard. I swear he only put that law up so he could have you to himself.”

“You’re right,” Moonlight responded, her voice a mixture of sadness and anger. “He only wants me for my looks anyhow, and you know how I feel about that. You’ve always been there for me.”

“We’ll find a way out of this,” Dusk said, holding his girlfriend. “I promise.” They shared one more kiss before walking back on their patrol.

At the park, Matthew was resting under a tree, his hat covering his face as he relaxed after the day he had. From being in his tank to fighting in a castle, he had done a lot for the day. While many Emperors had done more, they had done what he was continuing. From King Douglas to Emperor Smith, the whole line had done many great things.

“I wonder how Thomas would’ve handled this war?” Matthew thought. “He was the one to make us a stronger power but how would he handle this type of war? Do what we’ve always done, or do something so crazy that to the common mind it would seem like defeat but gain us victory?”

Unknown to him, Luna and the younger ones were walking up behind him, creeping up to try and scare him. While normally Luna wouldn’t do this, the opportunity to try and scare someone that wasn’t paying attention was too good to pass up. Just as they were about to yell in Matthew’s ear, they found a pistol pointed right at them. They froze, not sure what to do. While Luna was more used to weapons pointed at her, the teens held their breath, not sure if he was going to fire at them. Spike placed Sweetie Belle behind him, determined to protect her from harm, all the while, shaking, remembering that he had weapons pointed at him for the past day or two.

Apple Bloom and Dinky hid behind Pipsqueak, as Pip put on a brave face, hiding his fear the best he could. Rumble and Scootaloo faced down the barrel, acting as if it wouldn’t do anything.

Babs on the other hand hid behind Princess Luna, remembering what those weapons could do. The flashback of her parents deaths hit her hard as her eyes began to water.

“Next time you want to disturb someone that’s asleep,” he began. “Make sure he or she isn’t armed.” He placed his pistol back in it’s holster and lifted his hat. “Now, is there any reason you wanted to try and wake me up?” Everyone began breathing again at the change, but still kept away from any more weapons.

“We’re making plans for what to do next and you’re requested to be there,” Luna answered. “Also, I believe you promised Sweetie Belle that you would explain later.”

“I guess I better keep that promise," he said. They all sat around him, keeping their distance, while Luna stood off to the side to listen. “I was a young officer in the army leading around thirteen thousand men, the standard number for any officer of the rank I was. I was young, but I wasn’t the youngest officer.”

“I was assigned to lead my men to deal with a rebellion that was growing. At the time, it was small so we thought it would be an easy win. That first battle, I lost three-thousand men fighting a smaller force.”

“After a few more battles, we met up with the main force, during that time under my cousin’s command, and were sent into a massive battle. The end result was a crushing defeat. My cousin was fired and one of my friends was placed in charge. During that time, my friend and I had proved ourselves and became Military Governors of different territories. It was just a few months later that I received orders to lead the invasion of the Knights’ territories.”

"On the way there, our king at the time, Thomas Smith, was assassinated and my cousin took over. He redirected my forces to where we would be cut down. When we arrived, our landing operations had some issues, the main one being the tides. We turned back before landing, and for disobeying orders I was exiled. Around a month later, rebellions broke out and I was asked to lead one of the rebel forces, going from a Lieutenant to a Commander just like that.”

“The war was fought for two long and bloody years. It wasn’t until we were able to defeat my cousin that we could march on the capital city. The battle there took a few weeks, but we were able to eventually capture the city. When it came down to it, my friend or I would be crowned Emperor. When my friend was asked, he turned it down, saying he just wanted to be with his family, so that left me.”

"During the beginning of my time as Emperor, we conquered large amounts of territory and brought down two Empires. The one responsible for Spike's Dragon DNA, The Empire of the Knights, and the one they wanted to use Spike to fight against, The Dragon Empire. The Dragon Empire was the more challenging one. Their armies were vast in numbers and most of the people were afraid of us because of the rumors that we killed without mercy. I'm sure Celestia told you about the bandits, so I believe my tale is finished."

When he finished, the teens sat there, absorbing what they had learned. Luna however, had already heard the tales and the truth about what happened. She was actually surprised that books would lie and say things about him that weren’t even true. One had even said he was the youngest officer in the Imperial Army and was immediately placed on the throne after one battle.

“Now, I believe there are some plans to be made, so if you all will let me get up I will meet you at Town Hall.” All but Spike, Sweetie Belle, and Luna left, allowing Matthew to bring out a small stick that was leaning up by the tree. He used it to help lift himself up, as he felt his back snap. “Old injuries or something is catching up to me.” As they began walking back, Yuri ran over, almost tripping on a tree root.

“Sorry to bother you sir,” he said. “We were wondering when you were going to head back and help with the plans.”

“I was on my way there right now,” Matthew replied. They continued on into town hall where everyone was waiting over the maps of the area.

“Glad you could join us,” Commander Patten said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Keep it up and you’ll be filing paperwork for the next month,” Matthew replied. “Alright, now let’s hear what plans we have for the upcoming fights.”

“From Princess Twilight,” Yuri began. “Keep all forces together and strike as one force against the enemy. From Princess Celestia, focus on taking back the capital. Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance want us to focus on the Crystal Empire. Princess Luna hasn’t provided any target yet.” Luna raised her hand to silence Yuri.

“I would actually prefer us to take the Badlands from Queen Chrysalis,” she said. Yuri nodded and wrote down her answer.

“From Commander TK,” Yuri continued. “Split up and attack different targets. Commanders Potter, Baker, Patten, Stanley, William, and Andrew also agree. All members of the Emperor’s Guard’s staff are in agreement, as are all the other generals. We’re just waiting for your decision.”

Matthew brought his right hand up to his chin, looking at the maps and trying to decide the fate of the Imperial Forces.

“I believe it would be better if we split up,” he said, after a few minutes of silence. “We can hit more of their positions and they won’t be able to react as quickly on where to support. Now we just have to decide who goes where. Who volunteers for Appleloosa?”

“The 5th Army will gladly take the enemy on in the south,” Commander Potter replied as his officers nodded.

“Next up is Cloudsdale,” Yuri replied.

“3rd Army is ready to go,” Commander Patten replied, her officers also in agreement.

“Do not fail us,” Matthew replied. “Taking that city and its airfield is vital for any future battles.”

“What do you mean?” Rainbow Dash asked. “The Wonderbolts are the best pilots in the world and they were even shot down. Do you really think your pilots would do any better?”

“Are you underestimating my men?” Commander Andrew asked. “I am the leader of the Imperial Royal Air Force. I have trained and watched these men personally so I would highly suggest that you don’t insult them.”

“Rainbow, settle down,” Twilight said. “If they think that they can deal with the ones who shot down the Wonderbolts, then let them. Remember, no one was aware of the attack so they didn’t have time to fully prepare for it.” Rainbow settled down, but was still sporting a frown. “I apologize. She’s been like this ever since her boyfriend had left to try and retake Cloudsdale. Unfortunately, we haven’t heard anything since.”

“Make that your secondary objective, commander,” Matthew said. “Your main goal is the liberation of Cloudsdale, but also see if you can free any Equestrian pilots that you find. They can help us gain control of the skies.”

“Yes, sir,” Commander Patten replied.

“Who wants to take the Crystal Empire?” TK asked.

“Imperial 2nd Army is ready to run over all in our path,” Commander Baker said.

“The Crystal Guard shall support you,” Shining Armor added. “We can help show you any secret routes to take.”

“Only two places left,” Matthew said. “Badlands are next.”

“Marines ready for battle,” Commander William said.

“The Solar Guard will also provide support,” Celestia input. “I owe Chrysalis a debt for what she did to Canterlot a few years ago.”

“Alright then, that leaves Canterlot to the 1st Army, Guardian Force, and the Emperor’s Guard,” Matthew said. “Does anyone want to join?

“Twilight and I will assist you all,” Luna said. “We can help you get to the castle, but after that, leave the rest to the Equestrians.”

“Fair enough,” the Imperials replied.

“Now, if there’s nothing else,” Matthew began. “Time to start getting some shut eye. We move out at 0800 hours on the dot.”

“Sir yes sir!” everyone replied. The Imperial officers left the building, returning to their tents as the Equestrian Princesses and their Captains talked everything over.

“Is this even going to work?” Moonlight asked.

“It’s going to fail,” Cold replied. “Just you wait.”

I don’t know,” Flash input. “It does have merit. While it will run into trouble like any plan, it should help us free Equestria much faster.”

“I agree with Flash on this one,” Shining said. Twilight and Cadance nodded.

“Should we tell them about resistance fighters in each city?” Luna asked. “At least then they’ll know of people that will help them.”

“We’ll let them know in the morning,” Celestia commented. “For now, let us rest.” The others nodded and returned to their resting areas, preparing for the next day. The day the full Liberation of Equestria will begin.

Author's Notes:

Story will once again be on pause while searching for editor.